Superboy and the Invisible Boy
by Sarcasm is my element
Summary: FACE Oneshot based off of Next to Normal. Matthew is tired of being the fallback for Arthur. He already knows that he'll never be his brother, so why does he continue to rub it in his face?


Matthew pulls Gilbert through the door to his room, slamming it behind him. He begins to pace around his room fiercely, stomping and swearing in French every few seconds before finally exploding.

"It's always been about him. He's her golden child and I'm the one they use to try and fill the void. She doesn't see me, she sees the son she lost."

"Matt-" Gilbert interjects from his spot on the bed, the only place safe from the violent pacing Matthew's doing. He ignores his question, continuing on with his rant.

"He'll always be at the forefront of Mom's mind, no matter what. Then there's me, stuck in that GODDAMN SHADOW OF HIS. Always the second thought." Matthew shouts, flinging his arms around as if he were trying to act something out.

"Matthew, who're you even talking about? What's with your mom and the cake?" Gilbert questions, standing up.

Matthew stops in his tracks, his back to Gilbert, hands unconsciously clenched in resentment.

"My dead brother. It was his birthday today and Mom forgot that he's not alive. Again." Matthew growls, irritation clear in his voice.

"Oh." Silence follows as they both decide how to move on from here. Gilbert struggles to think of something to say that won't piss off Matthew even more. Matthew fights the urge to say something that makes him sound crazier than usual.

"Uh I'm sorry for your loss." Gilbert says, breaking off slightly at the end, nervous of Matthew's reaction.

"I never knew him. He's been dead for years." The bitterness in his voice ushering in the silence that envelops them. Gilbert steps forward cautiously, wrapping his arm around Matthew's waist, pulling him back into his embrace. Matthew leans back into Gilbert, anger slowly edging away.

Muffled yelling seeps through the floor the thundering clanging noise of metal hitting the floor following it.

"Some days I just want to get out of here."

Gilbert hums in agreement, burying his face into Matthew's hair as the blonde's mind wanders back to his rant and his anger. The constant barrage of shit situations trailing a path through his entire life, all of them lead by his brother. They never alter, just repeating the same twisted dance over and over again.

"I don't know why I keep expecting something else." Matthew mutters, standing up straight again, fury boiling up in him. Gilbert exhales, unwrapping himself from him, and plops down on the bed. He studies Matthew as he starts to pace angrily again, blonde hair swishing slightly with air passing it.

"It's always been fucked up. Why would anything change now?" Matthew growls, stopping mid lap to face the boy on the bed. He shrugs, unsure whether the question was literal or metaphorical.  
Matthew groans loudly, throwing his arms up.

A soft knock is ignored while he makes his annoyed noises. The door opens slightly, not catching the attention of the two in the room. Alice leans a little against the doorway, eavesdropping on the conversation.

"He's her perfect son no matter what I try to do. AND HE'S NOT EVEN HERE!" The blonde roars, flinging his arms up violently.

The thin sliver of new light splayed out on the carpet catches Gilbert's eye. He glances up past Matthew and spots Alice standing in the doorway. The white haired boy jabs his thumb toward the doorway, making Matthew turn around. The brother slouches in the corner of the room, arms crossed across his chest, leaning against the wall.

Alice stepped closer to Matthew, the pleading look in her eyes only spiting Matthew more. The blonde freezes, tensing up without even realizing it.

"Matthew, you know I love you, right?" The whispered question provokes Matthew to look Alice in the face, eyes flaming with resent.

"I'm sure you do." The venomous words bite back, dejection inflaming inside Matthew. Alice sighs, breaking eye contact, staring at the space behind his youngest son, avoiding the rejected look on his face.

"I'm working on it." Matthew snickers cruelly, noticing his mother's lack of eye contact.

"I'm sure you are." The acrimonious words roll off his tongue, his teenage aggression and rejection getting the best of him. Alice steps toward Matthew again, attempting a feeble apology.

"I'm sorry you have to deal with this." Matthew shakes his head, smiling incredulously. He turns on his heel, walking towards Gilbert. Alice reaches out to touch his shoulder, rethinking the movement halfway through, letting her arm fall limply to her side. She leaves, but not before glancing at the corner of the room, giving the boy the "don't-be-an-asshole" look.

Matthew exhales loudly, fed up with this vicious, emotional cycle. A door slams downstairs followed by very suspicious thumps, like something being thrown against a wall. Matthew shuffles over to the door, shutting it, leaning against it, head down, staring at the floor.

"As always, I'm the invisible boy. Nobody notices, nobody cares." Gilbert rises from his spot on the bed, crossing the room to stand in front of him. He places a hand on the blonde's face, tilting it so that they were looking each other in the eyes.

"I notice you."

Matthew lets a small smile on his face. Gilbert smiles back, his other hand intertwining itself with Matthew's.

The brother rolls his eyes, getting up from his position in the corner, strolling over to his brother and his boyfriend. He taps his foot as he leans against the wall next to Matthew, waiting for the lovey dovey session to end.

"I know." Matthew leans forward, pressing his lips to Gilbert's, his hand placed on the albino's chest. Before he even had a chance to do anything, Matthew pulled away, banging the back of his head against the door.

"But it's a different scenario."

"You know she's not doing this on purpose." The brother retorts, pushing off of the wall to circle around the two.

"It's like I don't even matter to her."

"You know that she's not always there mentally." The brother stops mid stride, turning to scold his younger brother.

"I just want to get out."

"You can't ignore me forever." The brother shoots back, standing next to Matthew, glaring at him with all his fury.

"Come on." Matthew jogs over to the window, opening it and climbing out. Gilbert stands there for a second, startled, before following his boyfriend out the window and down the side of the house. They hop into Gilbert's car, backing out of the drive and driving off down the side streets, looking for adventure.


End file.
